Photographic dark room



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. P. BROGKWAY.

PHOTOGRAPHIG DARK ROOM.

No. 558,348. Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

. lNVENTOH I game/m i 7 A TTORNE YS.

ANDREW B GRAHAM PnoTo-Lmmwnsmusmn DC (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

J. P. BROCKWAY.

PHOTOGRAPHIG DARK ROOM.

No. 558,348. Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

, W/TNESSES. INVENTOH flwwv BY J ATTORNEYS.

AN DREW s GRAHAM, PMOTO-LITHQWASHI N 51ml. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. BROCKNAY, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

PHOTOGRAPHIC DARK ROOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,348, dated. April14, 1896.

Application filed July 3, 1895. Serial No. 554,842. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN P. BRocKwAY, of Denver, in the county ofArapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and ImprovedPortable Dark Room, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The invention relates to photography, and its object is to provide a newand improved portable dark room which is simple and durable inconstruction and arranged to permit the user to conveniently developsensitive plates, films, &c., or to fill plate and film holders withoutthe head of the operator being confined in the dark room during theoperation.

The invention consists of a chamber having removable sides provided withsleeves for the arms of the operator, so that he can pass his hands andarms into the chamber to manipulate the plates, films, &c. while therest of his body is on the outside of the chamber.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details andcombinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the dark room. Fig. 2 is a sectionalelevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a transversesection of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a rearelevation of'a modified form of the dark room.

The improved portable dark room is provided with a box A, which may bemade in the form of a knockdown box, if desired. This box A is providedwith a false bottom A for dividing the box into an upper compartment Ain which the developing of the plates, films, &c., is done, and a lowercompartment A into which the developed plates are passed through a slotA, formed in the false bottom A. Into this lower compartknob or handle Con the outer end of the screw-rod 0 serves to turn the screw-rod to movethe holder or rack 0 forward or backward and bring its compartments inalinement with the slot A so that when a developed plate is droppedthrough the slot A it passes into the proper compartment of the rack orholder O. v

The upper compartment A is provided at its rear with a hinged door D,provided at its inner side with a pocket E forv supporting tools, paper,or other material. In the front of the upper compartment A is arranged apane of colored glass F to admit light to the interior of the saidcompartment, the said pane of glass being adapted to be covered both onthe outside and on the inside by slides G and G.

The rear upper edge of the box A is formed with a cut-out portion A tosupport a pane of colored glass H topermit the operator to view theinside of the chamber A by looking from the outside through the saidpane of glass. A slide I is adapted to cover the outside of this pane ofglass H, and a similar slide 1 is arranged on the inside of the chamberto cover the said pane of glass from the inside. A hood J is secured tothe top of the box A and extends over the said pane of glass to shadethe eyes of the user while looking through the pane of glass H to theinside of the chamber A The sides K for the compartment A are fitted toslide vertically in suitable bearings formed in the front and rear ofthe box, and each of the sides K is provided with a sleeve L, made ofrubber, canvas, or other suitable material, with a draw-string or anelastic band L at the outer end of the sleeve, so that this outer endfits tightly around the arm of the user, to prevent any light frompassing through the sleeve to the inside of the chamber A The latter isprovided on the inside of the sides K with slides N, each provided witha knob N and a pin N adapted to engage a catch N secured to the front ofthe box, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2.

Now it will be seen that the operator can conveniently remove the sidesK from the box and then insert his arms in the sleeves L, so that hishands pass through the openings in the sides K at the inner ends of the-sleeves.

The elastic band or draw-string L, engaging the upper part of theoperators arm, firmly connects the sleeve and prevents the light frompassing into the sleeve, as previously mentioned, and then the operatorcan insert the sides K in their guideways, as shown in Fig. 2, to thenopen, from the inside of the sleeves, the slides N, and pass his handsinside of the compartment A and open the slides G and I, and manipulateand handle the plates, films, holders, and the like contained inside ofthe chamber A in the usual manner. Thus it Will be seen that previous tothe operator placing the sides K back in position on the box he hasopened the slides G and I and has also placed the plate-holder, trays,850., inside of the chamber A through the door D. Now it will be seenthat by the operator looking through the pane of glass H he canconveniently observe the proper manipulation and development of theplates without being compelled to confine his head within the darkchamber. It will further be seen that by having the loose sleeves L theoperator has free use of his arms to readily handle the trays, plates,holders, &c., Within the chamber A \Vhen a plate has been developed, theoperator can drop it through the slot A into the rack or holder 0, andprevious to developing another plate he closes the slides N, I, and Gand removes one of the sides through the sleeve L attached thereto, toenable him to turn the knob C to shift the rack C and bring the latterwith another compartment under the slot A The mechanism for shifting therack C may be, however, arranged in such a manner that it extends intothe chamber A to permit the operator to.

shift the rack without removing one of the sides K, as above described.

Instead of employing acolored pane of glass II for viewing the inside ofthe chamber A I may employ colored lenses H, as shown in Fig. 4, toenable the operator to see more perfectly into the chamber A Having thusfully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. A dark room havinga chamber provided with a hand-inletopening, a frame-like side fitted to said chamber over said opening,devices by which the said side may be detachably held to the chamber anda sleeve carried by said detachable side, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. Adark room comprising a chamber provided with a hand-inlet opening, asleeve formed at one end to fit over said inlet-open ing and detachablyconnected at such end to the room, and a closure for said opening whenthe sleeve is removed, all substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3. A portable dark room, comprising a box formed with a light-admittingpane, and a viewing-pane for enabling the operator to look inside of thebox, removable sides held on the said box, and each provided with asleeve, and slides in the said box, located at the inside of the saidsides, substantially as shown and described.

4:. A dark room comprising a chamber having a hand-inlet opening, aslide controlling said opening and an attachable frame-like sidearranged to be applied outside said slide and a sleeve attached to saidframe-like side substantially as set forth.

JOHN P. BROGKVVAY.

\Vitnesses:

WILLIAM J. BRENNAN, AUGUSTUS (J. WAULLEson.

